In the field of collision damage repair to motor vehicles or the like, the current methods and apparatuses used to repair damaged metal panels commonly are clamps having square-like edges that are secured on an edge of the damaged panel, and then a pulling force is applied to straighten out the panel to its original shape. We have found that these edge clamps, the square corners thereof, have a tendency to concentrate the pulling load at the corners of the clamp, causing the metal panel to be damaged, specifically tearing near the square-like corner of the clamp, due to the weakening of the panel near the square-like corner of the clamp.
Furthermore, in the event that there is more damage to one side of the clamp than the other side of the clamp, the pulling forces become unbalanced and tend to concentrate the pulling forces on the side of the clamp that has already straightened out the panel and therefore causing the metal panel to fail and thus tear.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a means to reshape metal panels or the like reducing the possibility of damaging or tearing of the panel when being pulled.
It is another object of the invention to provide a means to reshape metal panels or the like which reduces the imbalance of forces on a damaged metal panel when being reshaped to its original shape.
Further objects of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description.